Irish Catholics have become timid, Dublin's archbishop says

Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has said that the Catholic Church has been “too timid in bringing its liberating voice to the demons of Irish society.”

“Scandals within the Church and perhaps a lack of faith” have been factors in quieting the voice of the Church, the archbishop said. But he added that Catholics have shown too much deference to secularists who would remove religious opinions from public debate:

We are tempted to succumb to the widespread opinion that Christianity is really something private and personal for our own devotion and inspiration and not something that has its relevance in the public square.

Archbishop Martin said that Christians should never seek to “impose their views” on society, but should strive to “win over others” through effective witness.

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The problem is that Big Brother has already arrived, both in the U.S. and in Ireland. Privacy and self-direction for Catholic institutions have given way to government obligations imposed at the end of a gun. Freedom of speech is almost nonexistent in my daughter's Catholic school, and I expect the government to one day soon invade my CCD program. Last Sunday our new pastor spoke at length about the dangers of government promotion of unnatural vice. This is now classified as hate speech.